I Don't Blame You
by sktrgrl13
Summary: The Tracys trick Virgil into playing the piano at the New York City Music Convention.. what could possibly go wrong?


**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE THUNDERBIRDS OR THE CHARACTERS! PERMANENT BY DAVID COOK WAS ALSO USED AS A REFERENCE IN THIS; SOME OF THE LYRICS WERE SWITCHED OUT TO MAKE IT WORK FOR THE CHARACTERS. **

**PS. I KNOW THE ENDING SUCKS… BE NICE **

Virgil Tracy was staring down at the black piano earnestly. It felt as if his collar was far too tight and his face flushed with heat that he never knew existed. Even at the age of twenty-two and he has participated in many stressful rescues, he would never be as stressed out as he was that night. His heart was pounding rhythmically in his ears as he tried to supress his drowning fear. He could sense the audiences' baited breath as they waited for him to play. His honey brown eyes scanned the crowd desperately hoping to make eye contact with at least one of his family members; preferably Scott or John; they weren't big brothers for nothing. Even if they were both part of the ploy that landed him in the New York Music Convention in the first place, he knew that he would not be able to continue without some sign of support. After a few moments of pure agony Virgil's eyes finally locked on Scott's cobalt blue eyes. No matter where they were, they always managed to find each other; and every single time it seemed to be during a moment of panic. With eyes full of excitement and pride, Virgil saw Scott nod at him encouragingly and he motioned for Virgil to sit down. Out of instinct, Virgil obeyed – albeit very hesitantly – and closed his eyes. He let his hands move towards the anxious piano in front of him; automatically his fingers began to dance gracefully along the ivory keys. The enchanting music floated around the packed auditorium lulling the audience into a mystified silence. As the music embraced him Virgil's fears began to disintegrate. His tense shoulders relaxed, his breathing softened and his heart was now beating alongside the piano as if they were a part of one body. His mother's song laced through every nerve in his body; it was almost like he could feel his mother sitting beside him, praising him and his brothers, for the men that they have become. He swore he could practically smell his mother's lavender perfume as the music whisked him away. There was a small voice in the back of his mind warning him, no, informing him that something wasn't quite right. For a brief moment he tuned out his own playing and he could hear a slight ticking noise coming from the piano. At first it worried him, but then he realized it was probably just the peddle of the piano or his heel silently bouncing off of the wooden stage. When he returned to his music he noticed that he was approaching the end of his piece, and he decided that he was now reluctant to leave the piano; figures. In the background he could hear the audience rising to their feet for their standing ovation and he could imagine his family's attempts to prevent Gordon from whooping and hollering. Pressing the final note of the piece Virgil pushed his chestnut brown hair out of his eyes and began to get to his feet, only to be blasted into the air and thrown across the stage into a more than agonizing heap on the stage. Intense pain tore through his abdomen as the heat began to press closer and closer to his body.

"VIRGIL!"

"S-Scott…" He gasped silently, yearning for the comforting embrace of his oldest brother, "D-Don't leave me…"

At this point he didn't know who he was talking to; Scott or the glistening white shadow flickering at the edge of his vision. He tried reaching for the stranger only to have the searing pain in his abdomen introduce him to the forbidden darkness.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB 

Scott sat in blissful silence with his family as his middle brother played the song that was closest to their family's heart. By far, this was the best performance that Scott had ever heard his Virgil give. He was used to hearing the music on the island, hell the island wouldn't be the island without it, but there was something different about Virgil playing for the majority of New York; this performance was special. He had to try everything in his skill set to prevent the tears from cascading down his face, but if his brother kept playing the way he was, Scott was going to inevitably fail in his efforts. He glanced down the row so he could watch his family's different reactions to the music, only to realize that they too were trying to fight off their tears. Alan and Gordon were sort of leaning against each other, to anyone else it would look like they were clinging to each other, but Scott knew that they were trying to silently distract themselves from crying; they weren't being all to successful. On Scott's right side was John; Scott would never forget the smile on John's face when their father gave John permission to put Thunderbird Five on autopilot and come down to Earth for the Convention. Of course at that time, Virgil didn't know he was going to be performing; Scott and John pretty much kidnapped him and threw him into Tracy One. John was silently letting his tears fall little by little as to not draw attention to himself. The boys' father was sitting on Scott's left side, stoic as usual; however Scott couldn't be too sure, but he thought he saw his father's lip quivering; he had to be seeing things. Scott absently ran a hand through his dark hair and continued to be entranced by Virgil's music. Scott couldn't help but notice that this was the first time in a very long time that all six Tracy men were in the same place at the same time without being on a rescue; Scott wouldn't admit it to the others but it almost made him with that IR didn't exist. As Virgil's song began to draw to a close the Tracys got to their feet with the rest of the audience, prepared to shut Gordon's mouth if necessary, when they were forced back into their seats by the force of the explosion that engulfed the stage. Scott watched as his closest brother flew through the air in slow motion and land on the side of the stage. Almost immediately the flames began to swallow the old wooden stage and fear started to claw at Scott's racing heart.

"VIRGIL!" He screamed.

At that moment the auditorium erupted into uncontrollable chaos. People of every age, every shape and every size ran towards the emergency exits as if their own asses were on fire. Before his father could utter a word, Scott barrelled his way through the hell and towards the rapidly growing inferno that had taken the stage. He was prepared to pull himself onto the stage when a firm hand clasped onto his forearm. He whipped around ready to give hell to whoever prevented him from getting his brother when his cobalt eyes met John's frightened electric blue ones.

"Scott, you can't go in there..."

"Like hell I can't John!" Scott's anger returning, "Johnny he's our little brother, I'm not going to leave him in there!"

"Let me finish!" John yelled back, "You're not going in there alone, let's move!"

With a slight, grateful smile Scott launched himself into the inferno with John close behind him. They both had their shirts pulled firmly over their faces to stop as much smoke from entering their lungs as possible. The heat lapped at their legs as they moved across the creaking, unstable stage as cautiously as they could.

"Virg!" Scott called out trying to keep his voice calm, "Virgil! Can you hear me?!"

No answer came, and the two older brothers had no idea where to turn to next. The smoke and flames were making it impossible for them to locate their brother effectively. They didn't know if their brother was okay; they didn't know if he was injured or if he was unconscious, they didn't know if he was… NO! Scott couldn't afford to think like that; neither could John, not when they had to find their brother.

"John, would we be able to find him with our watches?" Scott asked hopefully.

"Maybe…" John scrunched his eyebrows together thoughtfully, "I can definitely try."

Scott continued to call out to Virgil as John worked. The flames were starting to become unbearable; and they were the ones who weren't caught in the explosion. After what seemed like ages John yelled out in success. The brothers ran to approximate area where their brother's watch was emitting a signal. They ran as if their own lives depended on it only to have their remaining breath snatched away from them. Scott felt the colour leave his face as his mind processed what he was seeing. A pool of blood drenched the stage in the areas where the flame did not reach; Virgil's watch was laying on the ground abandoned next to the messaged carved hastily into the burning wood:

_I HAVE VIRGIL INTERNATIONAL RESCUE, AND WHEN I'M DONE YOU MAY NEVER SEE YOUR PRECIOUS BROTHER ALIVE EVER AGAIN – YOUR LONG LOST FRIEND, THE HOOD._

Scott dropped to his knees, his strength and composure leaving him as he screamed his frustrations to the God who was so intent on making their lives hell.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Jeff Tracy stood outside of the flaming auditorium with the remainder of his sons. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to prevent Scott from going into the flames, but he didn't expect John to follow his lead; now he had three sons in the inferno and two sons pacing relentlessly in the parking lot. His beloved red head was muttering about how he should've followed his older brothers and help them with anything he possibly could. Alan was just pacing in order to distract himself from the worry and anxiety of not knowing what was going on inside the auditorium. Jeff ran his fingers through his hair trying to keep the composure he was famous for, but he could feel it seeping out of him like a leaky faucet. Jeff was about to go running back into the auditorium himself when he saw two people stumble out of the building. For a brief moment Jeff felt relief, but then he realized that there should be three people coming out of the building; even if, god forbid, one of them didn't make it the remaining brothers would still bring the body out; something wasn't right. Jeff ran towards the two figures with Gordon and Alan right on his heels. As he got closer he definitely knew it was Scott and John, but where was Virgil? The three men weren't even a foot away when Scott began apologizing profusely, tears running down his face uncontrollably. John was silent, much like the days after Lucy died, and that's when Jeff knew it couldn't be good.

"Guys," Alan whispered tentatively, "Where's Virgil?"

Jeff watched as Scott and John's eyes shifted from anguish to pure, dark, unfathomable hatred.

"Scott? John? What is it, what happened to Virgil?" Jeff demanded authoritatively.

Scott's darkened cobalt eyes met Jeff's unblinkingly setting the Tracy patriarch into a sense of unease,

"The Hood."

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

When Virgil opened his eyes all he could see was darkness. The last thing he could remember was being forced to play at the convention and then the piano exploding with him still somewhat standing next to the keys. His body ached all over, especially his abdomen, and his head was pounding with a headache so intense he almost wanted to knock himself out again to avoid the pain. Through his agonizing pain he couldn't help but think of his family; he hoped that they had gotten out of the building alright, but he also couldn't help but wonder why they left him behind. He tried to get up so he could get a better look at his surroundings, when he noticed that he was no longer in the auditorium; in fact he was trapped in a cage. Even though he felt as though he was going to be torn in half he walked unsteadily towards the bars and tugged at them, hoping that they were weak enough for him to shift around so he could escape. His hopes were immediately dashed however when a door opened and bright fluorescent lights flickered to life blinding him. When his sight cleared, he nearly jumped back and fell on his ass; out of all people he wasn't expecting to see the Hood glaring at him in triumphant distaste.

"Well, well Virgil Tracy, it's nice to see that you have finally graced us with your presence."

Virgil wanted to retort, but his voice didn't seem to be working. His mouth would only open and close like a fish gasping for air. The Hood tilted back his head and let loose a thunderous laugh that shook Virgil to his very core. He listened as the Hood called out to someone or something behind him in Malaysian. Instantaneously two men approached the cage that confined Virgil prompting him to back into the farthest, dampest corner in order to avoid them. The men unlocked the cage and advanced on Virgil in a trance-like state. One of the men reached out to Virgil and yanked him to his feet by pulling on his hair. Virgil bit back the groan of pain and bile as they rose up his throat in determination. The other man grabbed onto Virgil's arms to prevent him from trying to fight back, but in all honesty Virgil didn't believe he had the strength to fight through a bag of feathers.

"Now Virgil, you know the drill, you're going to tell me all about the Thunderbird technology and maybe, just maybe, I'll let you return to your family in one piece." The Hood glowered down at him, "It's your decision."

"Well Hood we have done this enough times, in various different ways, so you probably already know that I'm not going to tell you anything." Virgil spat with annoyance.

The Hood's eyes flicked towards one of the men holding onto Virgil and without warning a fist slammed painfully into Virgil's bleeding abdomen causing blood to spray out of his mouth and onto the filthy floor. Virgil could feel his legs buckling underneath him, but the men held him firmly, preventing him from descending into the much need darkness.

"Let's try this again; what are the main schematics for Thunderbirds One and Two?"

Virgil spat at the Hood's feet in defiance,

"Go to Hell."

Virgil felt a calloused hand yank his face up, only to be greeted by the Hood's vile, powerful, golden eyes. Pain stronger than he has ever felt in his life consumed his mind like a raging fire consuming a forest. Virgil convulsed on the ground as the pain became too much for his body to bear. Slowly the pain decompressed from his mind sending him back into the welcoming arms of oblivion.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Scott's hands were clenched tightly on the yoke of Tracy One as rage, worry and guilt chewed him from the inside out. His hands were clenched on the yoke so tightly that his knuckles were bleach white and were starting to cramp from the pressure. His family members were sitting in the passenger seats silently. They were all lost in their own thoughts and worry because the Hood deemed it necessary to destroy their lives once again. First he attacked John on Thunderbird Five, then he captured the island, he tried to hurt Alan numerous times in order to get back at their father, but lately his focus has been on the remaining Tracy boys. Scott himself had been in Virgil's position at one point, but that was during a mission when they were International Rescue, not in public when they were the Tracys. Although his time in the Hood's possession is a bit hazy, he does remember how much the Hood loathed him; apparently he was too much like his father. It was Virgil who saved Scott that day and he would never forget it. Now that Scott was thinking about it, he realized that Scott's Salvation that day is what probably led to Virgil's kidnapping today. The Hood witnessed firsthand how the brothers were as close as any set of brothers could possibly get. He watched as Virgil practically read Scott's emotions and fears, he noticed how Scott's wellbeing meant everything to Virgil and how Virgil's wellbeing meant everything to Scott. They were one another's weakness, it would only take a certain amount of time for the Hood to exploit this; and that day was today. Scott felt a stray tear roll down his cheek as he imagined what his closest brother was going through.

"Scott?" A voice whispered from somewhere behind him, "Scotty, everything is going to be okay."

He saw Alan sitting beside him in the co-pilot seat in his peripheral vision and offered him a forced smile,

"I know that sprout…"

Suddenly a sharp pain tore through his abdomen. He forced back his flinch in an attempt to hide it from Alan, but it was to no avail. Alan's electric blue eyes regarded Scott nervously,

"Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself in the auditorium?"

"No Allie, I'm alright." Scott winked at him reassuringly, "I've just been sitting in the same position for too long."

He tried to shift his weight so he could make a point only to have agonizing pain rip through his head. His hands flew off the yoke and clutched his head trying to relieve the pain. He was distinctly aware of Alan screaming at him, but all of his words were garbled together. He felt someone's hands yank him out of the pilot seat and he sank to the ground; random images flashing in and out of his head. He could see Virgil in a crumpled heap on the floor with his arms wrapped firmly around his abdomen.

_Scott…_

_Please hurry…_

_Running out of time…_

_I want to tell you something Scotty and I need you here so I can tell you…_

"Virg! I'm right here, can you hear me?!"

_Kyrano always said our connection was special and I guess he was right…_

_So much blood Scotty and I'm cold…_

_I'll wait for you as long as I can, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out…_

"Virg, tell me where you are and we'll come get you!"

_I don't know where I am; all I know is that the Hood is just outside the door waiting for me to regain consciousness…_

_Scott, just follow your instinct and your heart…_

_That's when you'll be able to find me…_

_I love you Scotty, I'll see you soon and don't worry I won't put you through this pain anymore… I promise…_

"Scott!" John's voice pleaded, "Scott open your eyes!"

Scott's eyes shot open to see a pair of amber and blue eyes staring down at him. Both Gordon and John's faces were pale and shone with sweat.

"V-Virgil…"

"What about Virgil? Scott, you're not making any sense!" Gordon shouted.

Scott ran his hand through Gordon's hair comfortingly,

"I'm okay Gords, I promise."

"What happened to you son?"

Scott turned his head and saw his father sitting at his side holding his hand. He squeezed his father's hand and pushed himself into the sitting position. He realized that they were still all on Tracy One; he felt the colour drain from his face.

"D-Dad, who's piloting the plane?"

"It's Alan," His father gazed at his son sadly, "You gave us quite a scare there Scott."

"Dad, we need to get back home and get the 'birds up in the air asap."

Scott felt his father run his hands through Scott's dark hair soothingly,

"Scotty, we don't know where Virgil is, it would be a waste of time to send the 'birds out now."

Scott wretched his head out of his father's grip and got to his feet; as anyone would have guessed he began pacing back and forth. The Tracys watched their oldest son and brother sadly, knowing that Scott was surely going to lose his mind if they lost Virgil. Everyone would grieve for years over the loss of the middle brother, but Scott would surely die from his grief; everyone knew that.

"Scott…" His father tried.

"No," Scott cut him off, "Just don't."

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

When the plane landed on Tracy Island Scott disappeared without a word to anyone. John watched the retreating back of his only older brother in defeat. The family didn't say anything either, they just went into the main villa without looking back. John had a vague idea as to where the oldest Tracy brother was going, but wasn't quite sure if he should pursue him. His gut made up his mind for him however and he headed towards the one place other than the beach that Scott would seek refuge and comfort from his torturous thoughts.

John peeked through the doorway of Virgil's Studio and his eyes immediately fell on Scott who was sitting behind Virgil's baby grand. He could almost imagine his younger brother sitting on that very bench contemplating which group of notes would be lucky enough to take part in his next masterpiece. Scott pressed one of the ivory keys softly sending hopefulness around the silent room; it was like Virgil was actually standing there with them.

"John…" Scott's voice cracked, "Do you think it's my fault that Virgil's gone?"

"No." John stated firmly, "Why the hell would it be your fault?"

"Well if the Hood hadn't noticed our connection back in Malaysia, Virgil would be here right now…"

John felt the colour drain from his face,

"Scott, you can't start blaming yourself like that! If Virgil hadn't found you, you wouldn't be here!"

Silence surrounded the two eldest brothers before Scott's head snapped up. He looked at John with his eyebrows scrunched together thoughtfully,

"Did you say Virgil found me?"

"Yes!" John shouted in exasperation, "Thunderbird Five couldn't even locate you, but somehow Virgil did! It was so strange; one minute Virgil was with Gordon and Alan searching the jungle, the next he just took off without a word! We weren't able to contact him until after Gordon and Alan saw him half dragging you out of the jungle."

"Did Virg ever tell you how he did it?"

"Kind of; he just said that he followed his gut and it led him to you."

Scott glanced back at the baby grand and laid his hand on it gently. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he gazed into John's electric blue eyes. He got to his feet and ran to the doorway and ruffled John's hair affectionately,

"Thanks Johnny, for everything."

Scott turned to run off, but John snagged his arm and held onto him tightly. Although Scott is usually portrayed as the most stubborn Tracy, John and Virgil were known to be a close second and for very good reason. Usually the two were so level headed that no one expected them to explode or have a stubborn streak, but when it happened the island usually went into lockdown.

"Where do you think you're going Scooter?"

Scott flinched at the use of his childhood nickname and tried to avoid John's infuriating gaze,

"Down to the Thunderbird One hanger…"

John watched Scott closely and his thoughts instantly floated to what happened on the plane,

"You know where Virg is?"

Scott shrugged,

"I'm planning on just following my gut, just like he told me to."

"Just like he told you to?" John raised his eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

Scott opened his mouth as if to explain when he clutched his head again and dropped to his knees. John followed Scott's actions and rubbed his back soothingly. Scott's blue eyes were wide with fear as he watched images that only he could see.

"Scott," John began shakily, "Scotty, what's going on, what do you see?"

"T-The walls are slimy and I think I can hear the ocean. It smells a lot like fish down there and I feel the floor slightly rocking beneath me. Virgil, oh god, Virgil… Johnny he's hurt really bad, there's blood all around him. His face his all cut up and bruised and… he's crying… I'm so sorry Virgil!" Scott sobbed.

"What else is happening Scott?" John felt tears running down his cheeks.

"The Hood is standing over Virgil and he's smiling almost in a triumphant way, at the same time though he looks displeased; I think he's satisfied with Virgil's pain and suffering, but Virgil hasn't told him what the Hood wants to know yet. The Hood just said something in Malay and now two guards are approaching Virgil. They're pulling him to his feet and sitting him down in a rickety old chair; the chair looks as if it could break at any moment. I never noticed it before but there are buckets of water… NO!" Scott screamed hysterically, "NO! VIRGIL!"

Scott's hands let go of his head and he dissolved into an onslaught of never-ending tears. John pulled his older brother into his arms and ran his hands through his hair methodically. Scott sobbed uncontrollably into John's shoulder until his breaths became ragged and all that was left was a slight tremor in his body. John had never in his life seen his brother break like this; even when their mother died Scott didn't cry like this, but at that time Scott had to be strong. Now, Scott just watched his closest brother on the verge of going through some type of water torture.

"It's my fault," Scott choked out, "It's all my fault."

"For the billionth time, it sure as hell is not your fault." John whispered.

"But, but…"

"Scott shut the hell up and listen to me!" John put his hand under Scott's chin and forced his eyes to look into his, "It's just as my fault as it is yours! I helped you trick Virgil into going to the convention; if Virgil didn't go to the convention he would be here. Furthermore, it could be Dad's fault for secretly signing Virgil up for the convention. Hell maybe it's all our fault for deciding to open up International Rescue and if mom didn't die in that avalanche then we would all be safe in Kansas right now, but then we wouldn't be who we are today."

Scott wiped a tear that had been making its way down John's cheek and he laughed exhaustedly,

"Ah Johnny, what would I do without you?"

"Without Virgil and me, you would probably be a basket case." John stated bluntly.

"You're probably right." His eyes wandered up to the ceiling.

"Well, we did learn something from this little episode." A small smile spread across John's lips.

"Yeah? And what was that?" Scott laughed bitterly.

"I think I know where Virgil is."

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Virgil was damp, cold and completely alone. His abdomen still felt like it was on fire and after taking a peak at it he realized that his stomach was black and blue; perhaps there was even some blood coming from somewhere, but to be honest Virgil wasn't sure anymore. He had tried to keep Scott from feeling what he was feeling, hell it was bad enough the first time, but he didn't have the strength the resist it. The first couple times he was able to keep the link closed, but by the seventh or eighth 'mind exploration' Virgil had given in and felt Scott with him immediately. To make things worse, Scott almost had to suffer the water torture with him and Virgil sure as hell wasn't going to let that happen, so with the last of his will he shut Scott out; but not before he heard Scott's anguished shout as he realized what was going to happen. Even through all the beatings and torture that the Hood was subjecting him to Virgil had not uttered a single word about the Thunderbirds and he never would.

He curled in on himself in the furthest corner of his cell. He imagined he was back at home playing his piano; in fact he was thinking of the new song that he had made for Scott, he hoped he remembered to clear it off the piano. He rocked himself back and forth to the melody inside his head, just waiting to get out when slowly the words he was so desperately trying to create flowed softly from his mouth; his melodious voice encased him in memories and strength as he sang quietly to himself, imagining the reaction Scott would have knowing that like their late mother, he had inspired Virgil to create something beautiful.

"Is this the moment where you look me in the eye, forgive your broken promise that I'll never see you cry and everything will surely change even if you tell me you won't go away today. Will you think you're all alone when no one's there to hold your hand, and all you know seems so far away and everything is temporary, rest your head… You're permanent."

For the first time since he had been captured, Virgil let his tears fall freely, not caring who would be watching him. All he wanted was to go home and see his family; he wanted to tell Scott the one thing that had been on his mind since he had been captured. He knew Scott's personality well enough to know that Scott would be tearing himself apart; blaming himself for the inevitable and he had no reason to. Unable to come up with anymore words for his music he decided to hum to himself as he waited for his next punishment. His humming was halted, however by the sound of jets overhead, and not just any jet. He recognized the hum of the engine of Thunderbird Two and he couldn't stop the euphoria from rising in his chest; it was short lived.

The Hood all but ran to the cage that contained Virgil and used his mental powers to rip the door clean off its hinges. In a few short strides the Hood picked him up by his throat and pinned Virgil to the wall. Instantaneously, he was unable to take full breaths as the Hood's hand crushed down on his windpipe. Virgil forced his eyes shut as not to tempt himself to gaze into the Hood's eyes; the last thing he needed was for the Hood to take control of his body. Virgil's body began to crave the oxygen his body so desperately needed and his head began to feel light and distant. The smell of lavender engulfed his senses and he knew it was the spirit of his mother. He could see her in his mind's eye; she was just beautiful as he could remember. She was telling him to hold on a little longer, that Scott and John were coming for him, but he didn't know how much longer he would be able to last.

"Virgil!"

Scott's voice carried over to him and covered him like a security blanket. He sounded so close, yet so far away. Surprisingly the grip Virgil's throat gave way and he fell into a crumpled heap on the cold floor. He tried to scan the area for his brother, but he only saw the Hood running after his brother.

"Scott, no!" He tried to scream, but his voice betrayed him.

Virgil tried to get to his feet, but a pair of hands prevented him from doing so. He looked around and his eyes fell on John. The blonde was watching him with relief etched upon his pale features,

"Virg, you need to calm down, Scott is going to be fine." He reassured his middle brother.

"No he won't be," Virgil's voice rasped, "I have to go help him."

"Virgil…"

A gunshot echoed through the air and Virgil felt pain in his right shoulder,

"Shit!"

Ignoring John's protests Virgil got to his feet and ran to Scott. He could hear John's footsteps echoing behind him, but at least John wasn't trying to stop him. As if on autopilot Virgil ran to Scott, his gut telling him which turns to take and which turns to avoid. Whenever they ran across one of the Hood's minions John would shoot them with a tranquillizer gun. Virgil's muscles were screaming in pain and his he was pretty sure his abdomen had started bleeding again. Another gunshot was fired, but this time Virgil felt no pain, but instead a 'Shit! That was a close one!'; Virgil was going to have to kill Scott when this was over. After what felt like years, Virgil finally burst through the backdoors of his prison. The sun temporarily blinded him as he tried to adjust to the new surroundings. He watched as the Hood once again raised his gun at Scott and panic consumed him. Virgil was panicking enough on his own, but Scott was panicking because something was preventing him from moving; Scott wouldn't be able to dodge. Without think Virgil ran at Scott and dived at him as soon as two triggers were pulled. The Hood fell to the ground and so did Virgil; one was knocked out, the other was bleeding on the rotting dock.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Scott was frozen; he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, all he could do was feel the pain as the bullet shot into his middle brother's stomach. He didn't even know his younger brothers were on the docks, although he should've expected it considering the developing link that he shared with Virgil. Scott tore his foot out of the hole in the dock and ran to his fallen brother. Blood was flowing out of Virgil like a river and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Scott!" He heard John's voice, "Scott, use your sash to stanch the blood flow!"

Scott robotically obeyed his younger brother's order and used his blue sash to save his brother's life. His sash slowly turned purple as the blood became embedded in the fabric.

"John, we have to get him help fast." He stated, "Have you called the authorities?"

"Yeah, they're coming." John knelt by Virgil and began working on Virgil's wound.

Scott didn't even notice that John had gotten a medical kit from TB2,

"What do you want me to do?" His voice cracked.

"Just support his head and keep him awake." John said calmly.

Scott once again did as he was commanded and ran his fingers through Virgil's chestnut brown hair. Virgil's pain-filled honey brown eyes met his cobalt ones and he smiled weakly,

"Hey there Scotty, nice to see you."

Scott cracked a smile for his little brother, but it quickly disappeared,

"You're going to be okay Virg, I promise."

"It didn't hurt you too much did it?" Scott raised his eyebrow, "When I got shot, I tried to keep away from you as much as possible."

"Virgil, you shouldn't have been worrying about me," He groaned, "Worry about yourself for a change."

Virgil laughed, but it turned into a gut wrenching cough,

"It's hard not to worry about you Scott; you're too reckless."

"I'm too reckless?" Scott's jaw dropped, "You threw yourself in front of a bullet."

"Touché."

"Okay," John interrupted, his face as pale as snow, "I'm going to get a hover stretcher; Virgil Grissom Tracy don't you dare die, is that clear?"

"Sure thing Johnny, Scott will make sure of that." He coughed again.

John ran full tilt to Thunderbird Two and the authorities ran past him and towards the Hood, who was luckily still unconscious. Scott just kept his eyes trained on Virgil who was smiling up at him weakly; the man had lost so much blood, but he was still able to smile like that. Scott tried to smile back, but some tears escaped his emotional barrier and splashed on Virgil's face. Virgil reached up to Scott and wiped the tears off his older brother's cheeks.

"Scott, stop it." Virgil said sadly.

"Stop what?" He laughed bitterly, "I thought you want me to show my emotions."

"Not if you're blaming yourself Scott Carpenter Tracy," Virgil rolled his eyes, "Don't waste your tears if they only contain blame."

"But Virg, I…"

"Scott, I don't blame you and I could never blame you for what happened. It was all the Hood's doing and not yours. You didn't put that bomb in the piano and you didn't push me in front of the bullet; all you did was never give up. You listened to me for once and followed your gut, even if John had to help you along the way. The point is, I would've died alone and scared if you guys hadn't found me; you and John saved me Scott like you guys have done so many times in the past, that is why I could never blame you for what happened over the past couple days."

"Virg…"

"I. Don't. Blame. You. Scott. End of story."

Silence overtook the brothers and to fill the void Virgil hummed his song that he was working on. Scott listened intently, taking his brother's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. John arrived with the hover stretcher and the two oldest brothers carefully loaded their little brother onto it. They were able to successfully get him on it without ruining the hasty bandage job that John had done. The brothers all but ran to Thunderbird Two and hooked Virgil up to various machines. Without a word John made his way to the cockpit and started the flight home. Scott stayed in the sick bay holding firmly onto Virgil's frail hand and ran his other hand through Virgil's hair.

"You know Scooter," Virgil sighed, "I wrote you a song."

"Oh really," Scott smiled, "And which one is that?"

"The one I'm humming, I'm going to show it you after I recover and finish writing the lyrics of course."

"It sounds beautiful Virg; I can't wait to hear it."

"My guess is that you probably already heard some of it," Virgil smiled, "Unintentionally of course."

"You really should be resting and not playing mind games." Scott said sternly.

Virgil smiled at his brother and squeezed Scott's hand affectionately and just started to sing. Scott knew that it probably hurt Virgil to do this, but Scott also knew that if he told Virgil to stop, he wouldn't listen. He just listened to his closest brother's magical voice and his soul soared with the vocals.

"Is this the moment where you look me in the eye, forgive your broken promise that I'll never see you cry and everything will surely change even if you tell me you won't go away today. Will you think you're all alone when no one's there to hold your hand, and all you know seems so far away and everything is temporary, rest your head… You're permanent."

More tears fell down Scott's cheeks, but this time it was happiness. The one person, who truly understood him, would still be there for him. Just like Virgil was there for him, Scott would be there for Virgil, like always.

"Thank you Virg." Scott kissed the top of his brother's head, "Thank you."

"Only thanks I need Scotty is for you to remember one thing," Virgil yawned and his eyelids began to slip closed, "I don't blame you."


End file.
